Beer: Reviews & Ratings

After reading the review in BA I was excited to find one, finally got to try it and....

Popped the top and it pours a cloudy/fizzy amber color with a very active head, cool I think. On smell it smells weird, very bland and metallic. Taste is right with the nose, an AWFUL metallic taste at just does not fit this style...or any style really. I tried again and I taste a little hops and all metal, it's like this was brewed is a rusty kettle.

Mouthfeel...keeping in mind it was brief was ok but drinkability was awful, I could not finish the bottle and poured the rest down the drain, I think my taste buds are ruined for the day.

I hope this was a bad bottle considering the reviews it's got here.... (703 characters)

I got a single bottle of this from Binny's in Plainfield, IL. Pours what I would call a port-a-potty brown color with a long lasting off white head. The scent is extremely malty mixed with other grains; I did not find the scent appealing at all. Taste was malty with a hoppy finish with some citrus mixed in. Thankfully the taste was a lot better than the look or smell. Normally my ratings are right on with the beer advocate average, but this time I would rate this beer far below. At least it was good getting to try a beer from Norway. (539 characters)

T: Slight biscuity, bready malts open up the beer, with a bitterness, that is too astringent for my taste - bitter orange peel, citrus fruit zest and earth, unappealing. The Maris Otter notes are nice, and the hop profile isn't horrible, but it just wasn't my style, and it was a bit metallic.

M: Crisp and smooth, with some good carbonation notes, but not great for a Pale Ale.

D: Didn't hate the beer, but it just didn't have the hop character I like in American Pales, won't buy again, even though I really wanted to like this beer since I am Norweigan, but there are better priced Pales out there and tastier ones. (894 characters)

Bought 12/2010 Prague-Bad Times, pivotékaFrom the very first sip, unpleasant taste that immediately rises strongly in the head. Beer tasteless elder ádýho surprise. I'm sure will taste the different beers from this brewery, but I do not recommend this beer, you will choose better (286 characters)

Sampled May 2007
Pours with a hazy, reddish amber color and is topped by a substantial, initially three-finger thick, frothy, light tan colored head. The aroma is fairly malt focused with dusty malt notes, a touch of biscuit character and something like caramel dusted soda crackers. There is some hop aroma here, but it seems a touch off; something like cheesy citrus and a bit of dusty astringency.

Quite dry, with a definite phenolic edge to it; notes of plastic are quite prominent in the finish where they meld into an astringent, bitter finish. Malt is noticeable up front and it is quite dry with a solid bread-like / biscuit-like malt character. Pine-like hop notes are also noticeable, but they mix and become confused with the plastic phenolics.

Not at all what I was expecting, this beer was purchased freshly off the shelf and has been stored in the refridgerator since then, I hope my other beers of theirs have faired better. (946 characters)

Appearance: Deep hazy orange rising into a reddish orange with a 2 finger fluff head that dissipates leaving blotchy lacing.

Smell: Nose is a tricky one with hop notes peaking through a citrus fruit aura.

Taste: Comes through rather plainly with the malt making a forefront appearance and the hops subtly attempting to push through but weakly so. Finishes with a bitter tastelessness.

Mouthfeel: An almost watered down medium body with plenty of carbonation. Really weird.

Overall: This beer is nothing like any pale ale I have tried before. With it's look of an almost double imperial IPA to it's oddly rich malt off-taste.. I will say I wont be having this one again. (705 characters)

nose...
carmelized smelling hops, definite sweetness to this one, a slight chemical smell is in there also, not bad.

taste etc...
light to medium body. like in the nose somehow the hops flavor/bittering tastes a bit chemical, decent bitterness and decent malt presence, the carbonation is ok as well, pretty easy drinking but the way this is bittered is bothering me.

verdict?
so far my least fave from this brewery. not bad, but not particularly good either. (599 characters)

When pouring, a huge storm of bubbles rise up from the bottom of the glass, big head, dark blonde colour. Not a lot in the nose, something biscuity, hints of orange.On first sipp mainly hoppy bitterness, once again the bicuits are there, just the faintest hints of orange. The taste reminds me a bit of the smell spruce trees, not the most pleasant thing. On the thin side, could use a bit more carbonation.

This is the kind of beer that reminds I'm Belgian, for me this beer lacks balance, there's nothing wrong with bitterness, but as far as I'm concerned you need something to fight back a bit. (600 characters)

bottle from LiquidsolutionsPours a rich dense murky and very obviously unfiltered, orange to amber color. Looks like fresh apple cider. Smell is uniquely fruit hops. Almost tropical and hints of mango and apricot. I can see this being good with seafood as the description states. Taste is somewhat bland compared to good American pales ,and compared to the smell. Kind of a chalky, dry overall taste and finish, but it growns on me a bit anyway. Isn't a bad beer by the time I'm done with it, but not one of my favorite pales, or worth the high price tag. (556 characters)

Half-liter longneck bottle, conditioned, brewed to 14 plato with Maris Otter, wheat and crystal malts, and hopped to 40 IBUs with Northern Brewer and Centennial; fermented with English ale yeast. It pours a hazy reddish copper, with an inch of khaki head that settles to a thick cover, and imparts sporadic lacing. Kinda looks more like a barleywine than a pale ale. Smells hoppy and phenolic, with medicinal and perfumy notes - almost reminiscent of Orval. Malts are light on the palate, and the same phenolic perfumy/spicy character is present. The Northern Brewer gives an earthiness while the Centennial contributes its trademark citric note, both of which combine to impart a raw bitterness. It has a medium, crisp and dry body that leaves a long-lingering hoppiness. Overall a nice brew, but when judged as an American pale ale, the phenolic edge and the earthy hops don't work that well. However, if not compared with American pales, it's a beer that's worth a try. (972 characters)

Poured from a brown 16.9 oz. bottle. Has a cloudy dark brown color with a 1/2 inch head. There are some floaties in this beer. Smell is dominated by hops. Taste is different, hops are present, a somewhat medicinal flavor, a touch of citrus. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is a decent beer. (303 characters)

A - Pours a lighter golden brown color. Head formation is quick and settles in at about 2mm. Dissipation is just as quick. A fairly opaque beer, but it doesn't appear ot be due to hazing or yeast.

S - Starts off with a yeasty note that gets backed up with the acidity I would associate with oxidation. Did this one sit on the shelf too long? Almost seems belgian in that regard. Some malt astringency exists in the tail end.

T - Starts off very flat, dry. A hair of sweetness in the background. Some of the caramel malts make its way to the palette. Develops that mid-stream that I would tie to that oxidation flavor. Finishes with a nice hop flourish - the only to be found. Some of the after taste has more alpha acid retention.

M - A little thin on the tongue - but the carbonation bite makes up for it. An odd combination alpha acids and watery consistency.

D - Not particularly drinkable in my mind - I find the flat flavor profile tiresome. The hop flair, while what I would want in an APA, appears in an odd place in the taste. ABV is solid but manageable.

Seems like a lesser cousin to the often imitated Alpha King. (1,153 characters)

My first of five Nogne's that I'll be reviewing courtesy of Himerman. Thanks again dude, great box you sent.

A: Sort of a strawberry toffee color with some haze to it. Head is full on in charge of the situation. Appears to have a good creamy texture and a honey whipped butter color to it.

S: Cedar planks, play-doh, watery grapefruit and a hint of soap.

T: Starts off with malty red apples and cantelope. Has a brisk Liptons tea quality to it. Moves towards a bready profile with herbal tendencies. As the dough tastes fade, the hop bitterness gears up and fades into an earthy and dirty personality. Surprisingly enough, I feel like I can actually taste the alcohol, even at a respectable 5.9%. Finishes slightly metallic and quite bitter.

M: Medium body with a really fluffy carbonation.

D: This beer didnt really work for me. I think I get irked but pale ales or IPAs that dont use west coast hops, they just seem boring to me. There is nothing wrong with this beer and is actually quite enjoyable, but when I get that much bitterness I like to have a hop resume that matches it. (1,105 characters)

Dark, murky amber with a nicely creamy off-white head. Caramel malts and earthy, citrusy hops give the aroma an overall "dark" feeling. Hoppy flavor, leaning towards floral and wood, with a English-like, toffee maltiness. There's a central apple fruitiness and a wave of citric bitterness. Strong taste, I could guess this beer was stronger than it actually is. I don't say this very often, but this is kind of over the top for a pale ale, despite its relatively low ABV. Slick, medium mouthfeel, drying in the finish. Its not doing a whole lot for me, unfortunately. (567 characters)

This is an interesting brew, mixes of care me and honey and some fruit, likely centennial, has an almost sugary fruityness. The hops also have a grassy taste, that lead to a distinct earthy finish. This is a mix of English ipa and pale ale, not an APA for sure but judged as an EIPA or PA this is nice a tad sweet for me but we'll within the style. The use of Marris Otter make a nice cracker sweet malt where where the hops bring a fruity earthyness. A little muddled for me but others I'm with love the almost honey and fruit taste. (540 characters)

Bottle: Poured a deep beige color ale with an nice foamy head with better then average retention. Aroma of floral hops is well balance with some bitterness. Taste is mix between some floral hops and a subtle citrus bitter finish. Body is slightly above average with some decent carbonation. I thought this was a bit low in the malt profile department but apart from that it was a good APA. (389 characters)

Pours clear copper with an inch of rich off-white head. Recedes at a moderate pace, leaving behind light lace and a thick film. Not very assertive in aroma. Some light caramel malts plus green leaf and pink grapefruit hop notes over a bit of dusty earth. The flavor is much bolder; perhaps overly so. Initial biscuit and caramel malts give way to a strong bitter pine finish. Quite out of balance; the mouth is left puckering and dry. Good medium-weight body that's creamy and easy-drinking. Not bad, but not much to recommend it over others. (594 characters)

Interesting and complex. Slightly oxidized as the last few sips really showed leather and cardboard. Malt with mineral water and hops. Hops starts to dominate after a few sips showing largely floral with some citrus and herbs. Tangy, metallic finish.

Large tight yellowish head. Cloudy, color of candied mangos. Aroma of fresh orange rolls. Taste is also sweet and bready with some light orangey citrus. Fairly roasty through the middle. Finishes with a bit of astringency. A little more citrus at the very end and aftertaste. Medium body.

As others have mentioned the (what you spend)/(what you get) ratio makes a second purchase difficult to justify . (437 characters)

Hazy orange colour with a giant, fluffy off-white head from a hard pour. Good head retention and plenty of lacing, in fact there were long lasting rings around the glass indicating the size of my first few sips. It smelled strongly of various citrus fruits - orange, tangerine, grapefruit - with a little bit of pine, but the combination kind of gave it a dish-soap vibe. Still, this wasn't overly distracting. The same kind of hops came through in the flavour, but really needed more malt sweetness. There was also some earthiness running through the middle. Although the bitterness wasn't over the top, there just wasn't enough malt to provide a nice balance, and it left the flavour a bit thin. Short, hoppy finish with just a bit of sweetness to keep it from drying out too much. A little hop spice hung around a little longer. Medium/light bodied with moderate carbonation - not quite crisp, more like subdued. An interesting take on the style and an interesting beer overall. It has its problems, but I still kinda liked it. (1,030 characters)

Amber color, cloudy (unfiltered). A lot of sediment - pour slowly and DON'T drink this one out of the bottle! Creamy, malt flavor with only a slight bitterness. If it didn't say "pale ale" on the bottle I never would have guessed it. Not bad. (242 characters)